As summer approaches in my region of SE QLD, Australia, I'm preparing for my garden and looking for heat-tolerant greens. The weather here tends to be hot and humid, which leads many greens to bolt quickly and develop a bitter taste. I've had good luck with mustard greens but would appreciate some recommendations for mild greens. I've also tried sweet potato leaves, though they aren't everyone's favorite in my family. What are your go-to edible greens that can endure the heat while staying mild and tender, especially those that don't bolt quickly?
5 Answers
I’ve had great results with rainbow chard during the hot, humid weather this summer. It's been really resilient, even in high temps over 90°F. The different varieties have varying textures, with the colored stemmed ones being super tender—perfect for light sautés. They haven't flowered yet since they’re biennial, but you might want to give them a shot; just a few plants can yield a massive amount of greens!
You might want to consider molokhia, also known as Egyptian spinach. I grow it during the summer here in the US South, where we also deal with sweltering heat and humidity!
Definitely chard and also consider trying New Zealand spinach, Egyptian spinach, and culantro for variety!
Chard is definitely a winner! I’ve been successively planting varieties of Romaine, and the Natavia Batavia Romaine has been thriving even in temps over 30°C for weeks. It looks great too!
Water spinach (kangkong) is a fantastic option, and I’ve found that some collard greens can withstand the heat pretty well too!
Totally agree! Rainbow chard is amazing. Mine's also stayed pest-free compared to my kale.